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![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I am attempting to delete some non-system fonts that I installed. Every time I try, no matter what the font, I am told that the font cannot be deleted because it is "in use". It does not matter if I close every single program running and double-check that no word processors (I use Open Office) are running through Task Manager, the system will not allow me to delete any fonts.
Please help.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Could it be this simple? It worked for me!
http://forums.techarena.in/vista-help/1189255.htm
The Windows Font folder itself is using the font, hence why you can't delete the font - i.e. the very tool you're using to delete the font is using said font and thus locking the file!
When in the Fonts folder click:
Organize > Layout > Untick 'Details pane' > Now try deleting the font.
Worked a treat for me.
Seriously needs addressing in the next service pack.
All,
I MIGHT JUST HAVE THE FIX FOR THIS!!
I've been struggling for 1 hour to delete a font and I've finally done it.
I renamed the font and I could delete it immediately!
Before deleting it I set all the permissions to allow. I don't know if that helped but ultimately it worked.
I was in safe mode and that didn't work until the renaming trick.
Good luck.
G
Font Manager won't let you delete the font because it is being used... by the Font Manager!! (more precisely the Details panel of the Font Manager window)
That's one of the many stupid bugs of Windows, still present in Windows 8. Original post is 5 years old. Didn't have time enough to fix it, Micro$oft?
Wow...this original post in 2010 and 5 years later, this problem still persists.
Yet another reason why Mac > Microsoft. I only happen to work in a PC environment but if I had my choice, I would never touch a PC.
Not just snobbery but honestly...simple processes even like this create issues with Microsoft Windows. Absolutely ridiculously in this day and age of extremely advanced technology.
I still can't delete fonts and the issue is making my browser show webpages with altered font that makes it difficult to read, or else icons on certain websites do not appear. The fix is to delete the affected fonts on the system but alas...I cannot delete the fonts.
